Fluid couplings



July 24, 1962 J, BECKER 3,045,430

FLUID CQUPLINGS Filed Sept. 20, 1960 g m INVENTOR JOHN E. BECKER FIG. 2 BY A TTO/PNEY United States Patent 3,045,430 FLUID COUPLINGS John E. Becker, Darlington Township, Durham County,

This invention relates to fluid cooling arrangements for fluid couplings, fluid torque convertors and the like, where in fluid is used as the power transmitting means between a driving element and a driven element and has passage through a rotating fluid reservoir; one object of the invention being to provide an arrangement of heat dissipating fins upon the outer face of the reservoir and to so direct frictionally heated fluid entering the reservoir that it flows along the inner face of the reservoir in proximity to the fins. 7

Another object of the invention is to surround the rotatable reservoir with a stationary casing spaced away from the reservoir to provide an air passage space surrounding the reservoir and to so incline the fins that in their rotation with the reservoir an airdraft is induced into one end of the casing to pass over the reservoir and be ejected at the other end of the casing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reservoir substantially in the form of a hollow cone rotatable about its axis and carrying heat dissipating fins upon its inclined face, and to direct incoming fluid towards the apex portion of the reservoir whereby the fluid acquires a centrifugal movement across the inner inclined face of the reservoir; another object of the invention being to furnish a plurality of weir-like baffle rings upon the inner inclined face of the reservoir for the purpose of retarding the fluid flow across such inclined face with consequent increased fluid heat dissipation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view as shall appear, the invention consists of a fluid heat dissipating arrangement for fluid couplings and the like constructed and arranged all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a broken away side View of a rotary reservoir fluid coupling in which the fluid heat dissipating arrangement is incorporated.

FIG. 2 is a view of a'fragmentary portion of a rotary reservoir and showing a series of weir-like baffle rings mounted upon its inclined face.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the reservoir and several of the baflle plates as shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a view of a fragmentary portion of the reservoir taken through the line 44, FIG. 3.

The illustrated coupling to which the invention is applied follows standard arrangement wherein an impeller housing 2 and a fluid reservoir 3 are mounted for rotation as a unit about a common axis, the impeller housing being attached to a driving shaft 4- and containing a plurality of radial impeller vanes 5 which drive a plurality of radial runner vanes 6 contained within a housing 7 complementary to the impeller housing 2 and mounted upon a driven shaft 8.

The driven shaft 8 is rotatable within a stationary sleeve 9, the outer end of the fluid reservoir being of substantially conical form and rotatable about a suitable seal ring and bearing assembly 10 mounted upon the outer end of the sleeve 9. A wall 12 forms a partition between the impeller housing 2 and the reservoir 3 and contains a central orifice 1G surrounding the axial assembly of the coupling.

The impeller housing 2 and fluid reservoir 3 each contains a suitable arrangement for evacuating fluid there from, such as standard practice swingable fluid scoop pipes 14 and 15 swingably mounted upon the sleeve 9 and op- 3,M5,430 Patented July 24, 1962 2 erated by spindles 16 and 17 turned in any suitable man ner, such as the levers 18 and -19. The scoop pipe 14 evacuates fluid from the reservoir 3' to eject it into'the impeller housing 2, and the scoop pipe 15 evacuates fluid from the impeller housing 2 to eject it into the reservoir 3. In accordance with the invention the outlet end portion 20 of the scoop pipe 15 ejects fluids into the apex portion of the reservoir and whereby the fluid upon ejection acquires a centrifugal movement across the inclined conical end face 21 of the reservoir. To prevent the ejected frictionally heated fluid from immediately commingling with fluid in the body of the reservoir a circular dished plate 22 is positioned in spaced relationship to the end face 21 of the reservoir to provide a passage 23 for centrifugal fluid flow. The plate 22 is formed with a flange 33 extending to the vicinity of the annular wall of the reservoir and which is pierced by a plurality of orifices 34 through which the fluid flows. The speed of fluid flow being governed by the size and spacing of the orifices. The plate 22 may be mounted upon the sleeve 9 to be stationary as shown in the drawing, or mounted upon the reservoir to rotate therewith.

The rotatable reservoir 3 is contained within a stationary casing 24 which is of substantially the same shape as the reservoir and spaced therefrom to provide an air space 25 surrounding the conical end wall and annular wall of the reservoir, the casing being formed with air inlet orifices 26 in its apex portion and air outlet orifices 27 in the forward end of its annular portion. A plurality of metal heat dissipating fins 28 are mounted upon the outside face of the conical end of the reservoir and a plurality of similar fins 29 are mounted upon the outer face of the annular portion of the reservoir, the two sets of fins being preferably inclined to constitute air flow inducing vanes and whereby air is drawn into the casing 24 through the orifices 26 to pass over the reservoir and be ejected through the orifices 27.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that heated fluid in being ejected from the extension 20 of the scoop pipe 15 to flow over thecface 21 of the reservoir and also flow along the annular face of the reservoir will be cooled by the heat dissipating sets of fins 28 and 29 which are kept cool by the induced air flow in the air space 25 between the rotating reservoir and the casing 24-.

In'FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown an alternative arrangement wherein the inner face 21 of the reservoir carries a plurality of weir-like baflle rings 30 which retard the centrifugal fluid flow outwardly of such inclined face and whereby pockets 31 of fluid are for-med; the baffle rings being each pierced by a plurality of small orifices 32 permitting fluid to centrifugally flow from one bafile ring pocket to another in its passage to the annular wall of the reservoir. By this arrangement the movement of fluid across the face 21 of the reservoir is retarded and greater heat dissipation attained.

While certain preferred constructional details of the fluid cooling arrangements have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit of .the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a fluid coupling including a rotating fluid reservoir having a cylindrical wall concentric with the axis of the coupling and a substantially conical wall having exterior heat dissipating fins, the conical wall being remote from the coupling and inclined towards the coupling from the axial portion of the reservoir and through,which reservoir fluid circulates in passage to and from the coupling; an arrangement for cooling fluid circulating through the reservoir and comprising a conduit returning fluid to the coupling from the reservoir, a second conduit contained within the reservoir and extending along and in proximity to the axial portion of the reservoir and having a fluid inlet end and a fluid outlet end and through which fluid circulates in passage from the coupling to enter the reservoir, the inlet end of the second conduit communicating with an element evacuating fluid from the coupling, the outlet end of the second conduit being directed to eject fluid into contact with the inner face of the apex portion of the conical end wall of the reservoir and against which face ejected fluid centrifugally flows from its apex portion to its peripheral portion, and fluid flow encompassing means spaced from the inner face of the wall.

2. A fluid coupling fluid cooling arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow encompassing means is a plate mounted within the reservoir in spaced apart relationship to the inner face of the end wall of the reservoir, the space between the plate and end wall of the reservoir constituting a passage for centrifugal fluid flow.

3. A fluid coupling arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow encompassing means is a stationary plate mounted within the rotating reservoir in spaced apart relation to the inner face of the end Wall of the reservoir, the space between the plate' and the end wall of the reservoir constituting a passage for centrifugal fluid flow.

4. A fluid coupling fluid cooling arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow encompassing means is a circular dished plate mounted within the reservoir in spaced apart relationship to the inner face of the end wall of the reservoir, the space between the plate and end wall of the reservoir constituting a passage for centrifugal fluid flow.

5. A fluid coupling arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow encompassing means is a stationary circular dished plate mounted within the rotating reservoir in spaced apart relation to the inner face of the end wall of the reservoir, the space between the plate and the end wall of the reservoir constituting a passage for centrifugal fluid flow.

6. A fluid coupling arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid flow encompassing means is a circular dished plate extending from the axial portion of the reservoir towards the cylindrical wall of the reservoir, and a flange carried upon the peripheral portion of the plate to extend into the path of fluid flow and pierced by a plurality of orifices through which fluid flows.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,187,656 Kiep et a1 Ian. 16, 1940 2,582,952 Becker Jan. 22, 1952 2,585,149 McGill Feb, 12, 1952 2,611,248 Ahlen et al Sept. 23, 1952 2,679,728 Trail June 1, 1954 

